Okay, well, this took forever. Sorry about the wait, guys. I've just been beyond busy. With fairs and friends, and now school, and...ack. XP

Disclaimer: I don't own anything besides my own characters. All else belongs to James Patterson or its rightful owner – which may or may not be noted otherwise in the story.

Chapter Three

I began to usher the three into the house, my eyes wide with fear and alarm. This was so weird. But I had to do it. I didn't know them, but I had to help them. To help Gazzy.

Damn maternal instinct.

I opened the door wide and ushered the three boys into the house. Clocks were flashing midnight and the dishwasher was beeping. The lights were coming on, and more things were being turned on as Cassie and Keira woke my parents.

"They're down here!" I heard Cassie say. "The youngest one's hurt bad! I think he has a broken arm or something."

Then, I heard the pounding of feet on the stairs and my mom, her hair askew; Cassie, eyes wide and her face pale; and my dad, looking flustered and confused, entered the room. "Keira!" Cassie yelled, surprisingly in charge of the situation. "Did you find the first aid kit?"

"Yeah!" Keira replied, coming into the dining room from the bathroom. "It's right here!" She lifted up a box to show us. Huh. We have a first aid kit? I guess you learn something new every day.

While I hurried the three boys forward and Cassie and Keira began cleaning their cuts and scrapes – avoiding for the moment the worst injuries (a long, bleeding cut Iggy bore on his right bicep, the rapidly swelling lump Fang had on his head, and Gazzy's broken arm) – my parents seemed to be in shock. They were staring, wide eyes at the wings on Iggy's back, which he'd yet to take in.

The boys were much cleaner now, and looked less worse for wear. But there were still their worst injuries to deal with. The cut on Iggy's arm was quickly soaking blood into his white t-shirt and Gazzy's broken arm wasn't going to get better by itself.

"What are we going to do about Gazzy's arm?" I asked, looking desperately to my two friends. "We can't just leave it like that."

"I know how to splint an arm," Cassie said, surprising even me. "I can do that while you and Keira help Iggy and Fang."

I nodded in agreement. "All right," I said. "Keira, help Fang. Get an ice pack for him." She nodded and was off. I took Iggy's arm. "Come with me," I said, leading him toward the bathroom. "Careful," I added quickly, before he moved too far forward, "There's a chair there." That was going to take some getting used to.

He nodded, his eyes searching blindly for me. I reached out obligingly and took his hand on his uninjured arm, leading him around the chair and to the other side of the table, where we entered the bathroom. I didn't close the door, but pulled out the stool that sat at the vanity.

My parents had gone back to bed by this point, seeing we had things well under control. Plus, my dad had to be up early for work, and sleep deprivation doesn't do anyone any good. As for Jake, I don't know how he's slept through all this, but he's not shown his face yet, so I'm assuming he has. Speaking of him, we'll need to borrow some of his clothes for Iggy and Fang. I don't know what we'll do for Gazzy.

"Sit," I told Iggy, and after feeling for the stool, he did. I boosted myself up on the counter and opened the medicine cabinet. Bandages and hydrogen peroxide. Exactly where I knew they'd be.

I took both out of the cabinet and grabbed a cotton ball from the glass container on the counter. "Iggy," I said, and he looked up at me, looking like he was woozy. I pressed my hand into his pale cheek – even paler now, from blood loss. "Iggy, listen to me. I'm going to bandage the cut soon, but first I need to clean it. Now, the peroxide is going to smell funny, and no one likes the smell of antiseptics, but you need to keep still and let me clean it."

"O-okay..." Iggy said, his voice sounding weak – defeated. I uncapped the bottle and dabbed some out onto the cotton ball. I could see him tensing at the smell of the antiseptic chemicals, and really, I couldn't blame him, after hearing about how he grew up in a lab. But he didn't lash out. He didn't panic. He just sat there. It was eerie.

"This might sting," I said honestly, and began dabbing the wound with the peroxide soaked cotton. He tried not to show that it hurt him. He really tried. But every now and then, he'd give a sharp intake of breath or his features would contort for a moment before smoothing out again. Once all the extra blood was gone, and I'd thrown the last cotton ball away, I released my vice grip on Iggy's wrist. I grabbed the gauze and bandages and began to wrap his arm, but he stopped me.

"We heal faster than you do," He said, his voice less strained than before. "That isn't necessary."

I shook my head and continued to wrap his arm. "No, Iggy," I said, my voice becoming strained. "Just let me do this. It'll make me feel better."

So he let me.

In the other room, I could hear the occasional whimper from Gazzy as Cassie bound his arm. I could hear Fang arguing with Keira about not needing the pack, but I could tell he was losing ground. Iggy just sat there, letting me bandage his arm. He didn't speak. He didn't make a sound. I had the feeling that all of them had pretty much given up fighting, for now, at least. It had to hurt – getting through so many fights practically unscathed, and then...defeated by a storm. That couldn't have been good for their self-confidence.

I don't know how long it took before all the cuts and scrapes were disinfected and bandaged, Gazzy's arm splinted, and everything cleaned up, because the clocks were still blinking. I couldn't tell if the sun was starting to come up, because it was still storming. I couldn't tell if I was tired, scared, or just in shock beyond all reason. I didn't know...but then, did it really matter? All I knew was that it was late. I was fighting to keep my eyes open. I'd been through too much.

I just wanted to go to sleep. On my new cot, out on our front porch.

We'd forced Iggy and Gazzy to take my double bed, since they were the most badly injured. Fang was on the couch. Cassie and Keira were in sleeping bags on the floor, since they'd be gone the next night. But me? I got a freaking cot. Ugh. We have to clean out the guest room.

My hands were twisting around and around on the hem of my night shirt in my sleeping bag. I couldn't believe everything that had happened today. Well, technically, today and yesterday. But who feels like being that technical?

I rolled onto my stomach, my eyes unable to stay open anymore because of exhaustion, and fell asleep, my dreams playing out behind my eyelids. Filled with feathers and rain and a white, ghostly looking angel that resembled Iggy, reaching out for help. Fitful sleep was something I was seriously lacking.

You know what makes me feel bad? Not updating in forever. You know what makes me feel worse? When I don't update in forever, then write the whole chapter in five days. I feel like crap. But please keep reviewing! I love feedback. ^_^

~Xandra J.